Shang thought about this dynamic for a bit, but he eventually focused on the trial again.
"I'm ready for the next level," Shang said as he readied his sword.
"You don't need to get ready," the jester said with a smirk.
Shang glanced at the jester.
The jester only continued smirking. "I'll give you two points for this fight since it was so difficult. I'll count this level as levels nine and ten. So, if you want to continue, you will directly enter level eleven."
"Do you want to fight an average Late Commander Stage beast?"
Shang furrowed his brows.
He knew exactly what that entailed.
Sadly, or luckily depending on the viewpoint, there was a rock-paper-scissors principle going on here.
Could an average Late Commander Stage beast win against the Ice King?
Probably not. The Ice King would surely win.
Yet, Shang had won against the Ice King.
So, wouldn't he be able to win against an average Late Commander Stage beast?
Sadly, no.
The only reason Shang won against the Ice King was due to several things unique to him.
The constant presence of the icy storm not only didn't affect Shang, but it even strengthened him.
Additionally, the Domain of Entropy was very useful against Mana-based attacks.
In a way, Shang had perfectly countered the Ice King.
Yet, he wouldn't perfectly counter his next opponent.
The body of his next opponent was so much stronger than Shang's that he probably wouldn't even be able to break through its defenses.
So, while the Ice King could kill an average Late Commander Stage beast, and while Shang could kill the Ice King, Shang couldn't kill an average Late Commander Stage beast.
In a sense, Shang was definitely weaker than the Ice King in terms of total power.
Shang knew that he had lucked out.
In fact, even a weak Late Commander Stage beast might be able to kill Shang.
It entirely depended on what kind of opponent Shang would have received.
But an average one?
No shot.
"So, I have ten points now, right?" Shang asked.
"Correct," the jester answered.
Shang took a deep breath.
"I don't think I can win against an average Late Commander Stage beast. Do you think I have a shot?" he asked.
The jester chuckled a bit. "Knowing your own power is important."
"You will lose."
Shang nodded.
That was what he had expected.
Dying was still something Shang didn't want to experience, and he also didn't think that there was much to gain from fighting such an opponent.
His opponent was probably so much stronger that Shang wouldn't even be able to learn anything.
He would probably just get overwhelmed and die.
"Then, that's it for the beasts," Shang said.
"Alright," the jester said.
But then, he looked at the wheel below him, and the wheel began to spin.
"I want to know what you would have fought."
Shang also looked at the wheel.
After a couple of seconds, it stopped on a green bird with a spear in its hand.
"Spear Stork," Shang said.
He knew that beast very well.
"Yep, you would have lost," the jester said.
Spear Storks were insanely fast, and with it being three levels above Shang, it would be so fast that Shang wouldn't even be able to react.
He would die in one shot.
After that, the wheel for beasts left as two other wheels appeared, one for Affinities and one for weapons.
The jester sat on the wheel for Affinities.
But instead of starting the wheels, the jester only looked at Shang.
"Enjoy your free wins," the jester said with a chuckle. "In the next trial, I'm going to change things up."
"Having you fight simulated future warriors is no longer accurate since your arrival changed the world of warriors faster than I assumed."
"But I also don't want you to keep fighting these same warriors but stronger. You would rack up points without end."
Shang looked at the jester. "So, what will you do?"
"Not sure yet," the jester said. "I might remove the warrior category altogether and lower the thresholds for rewards or make you fight the ancient variants of the warriors. I will decide which when the time comes."
'Fighting ancient warriors?' Shang thought. 'I might actually learn about new ways to apply my power. In a way, it allows me to peer into the past, at the time when warriors were equal to the Mages.'
"But for today," the jester continued. "You will be fighting normal, average warriors. Enjoy it while it lasts."
And then, the wheels began to spin.
Shang didn't even look at the wheels anymore.
It didn't matter what they landed on.
Shang's body was nearly equal to a warrior at the Peak Commander Stage.
Shang had defeated an average Mid Commander Stage beast without having to use everything.
Could an average Late Commander Stage warrior beat an average Mid Commander Stage beast?
No.
Would a powerful Late Commander Stage warrior be able to?
Maybe. It would be a tough fight.
"Oh right, I forgot," the jester said.
"Level one: Weak Initial Commander Stage warrior," the mechanical voice said.
"There we go," the jester added with a grin.
Shang didn't look over.
He still wasn't a fan of this circus.
He was fighting for his life and future while the God was designing the entire trial to be absolutely ridiculous.
It was like a family laughing at the funny way the chickens in front of them were fighting to the death.
It was fun for them but horror for the chickens.
SHING!
Shang's opponent appeared.
He was a young man with silver hair and a silver spear. His entire equipment looked ostentatious, almost like he was afraid that others didn't know that he came from a wealthy background.
The jester lifted his hammer and struck the bell.
DING!
The warrior opened his eyes.
BANG!
And he was dead.
Shang's speed was so fast that he couldn't even react.
Sword bisected him without any issues.
Shang was still not a fan of killing people that hadn't done anything to him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
For his own power, he had to kill these people.
It didn't matter if they were real or not.
It didn't matter if they were willing to be here or not.
It didn't matter if they wanted to fight or not.
Shang had to kill them.
If he didn't, he would forever regret it.
He needed this trial.
He needed the rewards.
He needed more power!
The cheering returned just like the wheels.
"Level two: Average Initial Commander Stage warrior."
And the wheels spun as Shang waited for his next victim.
